Local Band Brings Central Coast Sounds to Nation

Mike Leibovich with Fialta bandmates
L-R: Mike Leibovich, Beth Clements, Sarah Shotwell and David Provenzano. | Photo: Jered Scott


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The breezy sounds of local San Luis Obispo band Fialta are drifting across the nation. The self-professed “Central Coast indie pop” group — including 2011 communication studies alumnus Michael Leibovich — are multi-faceted artists, balancing day jobs with writing, composing and performing music inspired by lifelong learning and the world around them.

Drawn together from opposite coasts, Leibovich, Beth Clements, David Provenzano, and Sarah Shotwell (B.A., History, 2008) met while Leibovich and Provenzano were on tour with their band Sherwood.

“I actually dropped out of Cal Poly to pursue my dreams of playing music professionally,” said Leibovich.

In the early days, Fialta’s music was created via long-distance email collaborations. “We started writing and recording melodies when we were on break from tour,” he continued. “We would send the songs to Beth over email, Sarah would add lyrics … it just took off from there.”

Wanting to find a common place to come together and put down roots, the four chose San Luis Obispo to give the band a chance and for the couples to marry (Leibovich and Clements, and Shotwell and Provenzano). Coming back to San Luis also meant an opportunity for Leibovich to finish what he started at Cal Poly.

“After six years of touring around the world, I re-enrolled and completed my degree in 2011,” he said. “Coming back to school after having some life experiences was one of the best decisions I could have made. I came back to the program more focused and diligent.”

By night, the bandmates are writers, composers, performers and literary enthusiasts — all on the side of their “normal” day jobs as a high school history teacher, marketer, user-experience researcher, and software technician.

“I think our daytime careers provide us with the flexibility to be truly creative and uncompromising in the music we make,” said Leibovich. “Not having the pressure to ‘earn money’ really affords us the creative license to take more risks and be truer to ourselves and our sound.”

Grounded in the liberal arts, the group strives to be well-rounded, life-long learners. “During the years of traveling, my degree always represented this unfinished project, with my focus on the completion, rather than the experience. After re-enrolling, I became more interested in the subjects of each class, and I was able to enjoy the journey of learning — that’s still my perspective today.”

That lifelong-learning mindset influences the group’s music. With explorations in art, history and literature, Fialta’s first album, “Summer Winter,” released in 2013, nods to literary greats like Poe, Chekhov and Tolstoy.

The deep philosophies behind the lyrics often contrast with Fialta’s California vibe, resulting in a unique sound. “We live in a sun-soaked, happy place,” said Leibovich. “It also helps that we really like twinkly instruments, like ukuleles, glockenspiels, melodicas and surfy keyboards.”

The contrasts that appear throughout Fialta’s music make the group stand out. “Summer Winter” continues to earn national exposure, with songs featured on Kmart and Chipotle commercials, on the season 14 “Degrassi” soundtrack, MTV’s “Awkward,” and NBC shows “A to Z” and “About a Boy.”

On tap next: the group looks to release their second album soon. “Creating new songs has always been particularly exciting for me. It brings an energy that can stay with me for days!” said Leibovich.

No matter where his life journey will take him, Cal Poly provided Leibovich with the tools to succeed — communication skills. “Especially as a musician and songwriter, where success often hinges on a very creatively collaborative experience, the program really provided me with useful tools for communicating.”



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